MARK Jenkinson MP has accused Labour of letting down working parents after its refusal to commit to supporting the expansion of free childcare, while their local candidates stay silent on any issue they haven’t received instruction from Labour central office about.
Under a Conservative Government, thousands of parents of two-year-olds across the country are now getting help with their childcare costs as the first phase of the biggest ever expansion in childcare starts.
This is on top of the over 1.2 million people already supported with childcare, with over 150,000 more set to benefit from this week.
From next year, Government will ensure 30 hours free childcare a week from when a child is nine months old to when he or she starts school.
But Labour is talking about scrapping the expansion – which is saving parents £6,900 a year and helping 60,000 more people into work.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan MP has this week written to Shadow Education Secretary and the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer them to commit to 30 hours childcare – and asking for details of about how Labour proposes to support working families.
Mark Jenkinson MP, who has previously published a free information booklet for parents about the Government-funded support available, has given his backing to Gillian Keegan’s demands for answers.
He said: “The silence from Labour on this topic is deafening and speaks volumes. Hardworking parents are the backbone of communities, and of the economy not only here in Cumbia, but across the country.
“Naturally mums and dads across my constituency will be concerned that we have received no commitment whatsoever from the Shadow Education Secretary.
“Indeed, we have now heard that Labour is refusing to back the Government’s childcare expansion and are even calling for the ‘hours’ model to be scrapped.
“What they would replace it with we don’t know because they haven’t told us. They don’t have a plan.
“With a General Election on the horizon, Labour’s indecision is causing uncertainty for parents and for childcare businesses unsure whether to expand or invest.
“This Government has an excellent policy of giving working mums and dads 30 hours free childcare a week from when their child is none months old to when they start school – a lifeline for working parents.
“This saves parents on average just under £7,000 a year to meet childcare costs.
“Naturally, I hope the elusive and asked-for assurances arrive, including how they propose to support working families, but I won’t hold my breath. Labour does not have the backs of hardworking parents.
It’s time for local Labour candidates to break with Sir Keir Starmer’s indecisiveness, and back local working parents.
But they are yet to draw up any specific plans to say how they would improve on the Government’s record expansion of childcare.”
In this first stage, working parents of two-year-olds are now able to access 15 hours a week of government-funded childcare from 1st April.
By September 2025 the full rollout will be completed, with working parents able to access 30 hours from the end of maternity leave to when their child starts school, saving parents an average of £6900 per year.
The Government has supported the sector to deliver this expansion by increasing the number of staff and places, introducing measures to boost the recruitment and retention of childminders, launching a major national recruitment campaign and providing over £400 million of additional investment to uplift funding rates in 2024-25.
On top of this, the government will increase rates over the next two years by an estimated £500 million, the Chancellor confirmed at the Spring Budget.
